Stop Being Such A Smartass
by MysteriousRebel
Summary: Based around episodes 11 and 12 I feel like Fujimaki love stories are nonexistent. At least, ones where there is an OC instead of someone like Oyama or Hisako (Bleh! I prefer OyamaxFujimaki over HisakoxFujimaki and that's saying something since I hate yaoi) So I created this story a long time ago and I feel like I fall in love with Fujimaki all over again every time I read it.
1. Painful Entrance

I was walking around after SSS's apparent last meeting and thinking about what I was going to do now. _So, I get to choose what path I want,_ I thought to myself. _But, what do I want?_ I crossed my left arm over my stomach, resting my right elbow against it, and raised my hand to my chin, grabbing it with my index finger and thumb. _Should I do what Otonashi wants us all to do and pass on? _I sighed and shook my head. _Even if I wanted to, I'm not totally sure how to. I mean, Otonashi said we had to let go of our regrets and fulfill our dreams to move on, but I don't know if I can. I'm not even entirely sure what they are._

As I continued to ponder on my future, I hadn't noticed the case of stone steps in front of me. One misplaced step, plus my uncoordinated feet, and I was sent tumbling down the stairs. Luckily, the case was short and I was flat on my back in no time. "Ouch," I said to myself as I sat up, holding my dizzy head.

"Hey, there's some stairs there."

I turned my head to see where that smartass remark came from and found Fujimaki sitting on the bottom step, his hands resting on his sword between his knees. I smirked at him and responded with, "Yeah, I noticed that after I fell down all ten of them. Stop being such a smartass."

A small smile formed on his face and he let out a short chuckle. "You counted them?"

"Oh yeah," I replied, getting to my feet and turning to him. "I mean, what else is there to do when you're falling down a flight of stairs? Protect yourself? No way, that's for wimps." I folded my arms over my chest and he chortled again.

"Of course."

I giggled and scanned the area around us to see that it was completely deserted. "Uh, should I leave?"

"Huh? Why?" He glanced at me confused.

"Seems like you wanted some privacy," I answered, looking around again for emphasis on how empty it was.

"Oh, um, no," he said, which confused me a bit. "I mean, I was just thinking."

"About what Yuri said?" I questioned, feeling the air become more serious.

"Yeah…" He diverted his eyes to the ground, his mind clearly somewhere else.

I uncrossed my arms and hesitated a bit before asking, "Can I sit?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking at me and then the space next to him.

I sat down and rested my elbows on my knees. We didn't say anything, the only sound being the chirp of crickets. I peeked over at Fujimaki to see his eyes closed and head rested against his hands. He seemed so deep in thought and I tried to think of a time he looked this serious, though nothing came to mind. Not even the day he asked me to join SSS did he look serious.


	2. First Encounter

If it's not obvious already, this is a flashback.

* * *

The faint sound of footsteps and chatter had awakened the rest of my senses, causing me to sluggishly open my eyes. At first, everything was blurry and hazy, colors smudged together. Eventually, everything began to be clearer, though not in my mind. _What the hell?_ I slowly pushed myself up and stood, gazing around me. _Where am I?_ It looked like I was at a school, but it didn't make any sense. The last thing I remembered was lying in a field, dying of starvation. At least, I thought I was dying. Now, I wasn't so sure. I glanced down and saw I was wearing a white polo shirt under a sandy brown blazer and a short black pleated skirt. _Whoa! How the hell did this get on me?! None of this is making any sense!_ I felt someone tap on my shoulder and spun around to see a girl with long, silvery white hair and golden eyes in the same uniform as me. She was short and appeared meek, but there was something about her that felt precarious.

"You should get to class," she advised in a monotone voice.

"What? Who are you?!" I questioned, anxious to get answers.

"Student Body President and you're about to be late for class." She turned and started walking away.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to follow her or not, but I did since she seemed poised enough to explain what was happening. "Hey, what's going on?!" I inquired as we entered the school building.

"You're going to class," she answered, keeping her gaze forward.

"No, I meant, what's happening? Why am I here?" She didn't say anything, frustrating me even more. "Hey, Student Body President, isn't it your job to help students? Then help me! Tell me what the hell is going on?!"

"You're dead," she replied simply, as if it was any ordinary answer.

"What?!" I exclaimed as we headed up a flight of stairs. _This girl's nuts! I should've known better than to ask some other student what's going on!_

"You're dead. You're no longer alive," she elaborated as if I didn't understand the first time.

"Then why am I here?! I can't be dead if I'm here, living and breathing!" I closed my eyes and raised my hand to my forehead, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Ugh, I think I'm sick."

"That's impossible. You can't be sick."

"And why not?!"

"Because no one gets sick here."

"What? Why not?"

"Because everyone's dead."

I stopped in my tracks at that instant. _What?! She can't be serious! Everyone here is…dead?! No way! That's impossible! Why would there be a school for the dead?! Why would the dead be here period?!_

She halted in front of a door and strolled into a room. I followed her, but froze in the doorway when I realized the room was filled with students. Everyone, including the teacher, paused and stared at me. _Oh crap!_ I thought to myself.

"What's wrong, Kokoa?" the teacher asked me. _What?! How the hell does he know my name?!_ "Take your seat, Kokoa. You're late."

I scanned the classroom to see where the Student Body President went and saw her at a desk, pulling out a notebook and pencil.

"Kokoa, take your seat. I'm not going to tell you again."

Feeling it'd be best to not draw any more attention to myself, I searched the classroom again, this time to find an empty desk. Unfortunately, there was one, smack dab in the middle of the classroom. _Of course,_ I thought. As I made my way to it, classmates whispered to each other.

"What's up with Kokoa?"

"Did she wake up late?"

"Maybe she's just stressed out."

_What the hell?_ I wondered._ They're talking about me like they know me, but I've never seen anyone in this room before._ I took my seat and the teacher resumed his lecture.

All the while, I was trying to figure out what was going on. Even as the end of class approached, I still had questions swirling in my head. _Why is this happening?! What is happening?! And…why does that guy have a different uniform on?_ I glanced at the boy next to me, whose uniform was different from everyone else's. Instead of the usual black pants and white polo shirt under a black gakuran all the other guys were wearing, he had on black slacks and a white long-sleeved polo shirt under a sandy brown coat. _What's up with that uniform?_ There was a logo on the upper part of his sleeve that had a shield and something written underneath it, but the writing was too small for me to read from where I was. The mysterious guy noticed me staring at him and I quickly averted my eyes upfront.

"Okay, here is your homework for today," the teacher announced, setting papers on the first desk of each row.

"Homework?" I said to myself as the papers were passed back to me. _This is…_ I slammed the papers onto my desk and stood up, causing everyone's attention to turn to me. "Why the hell do we have homework if we're supposedly dead?! This doesn't make any sense! What the hell is this place?!" I demanded.

"Sit back down," the teacher ordered.

"No! Not until I get some answers!" I retorted.

Just then the bell rang, indicating class being over, and everyone, including the teacher, got their things and proceeded towards the exit. The students behind me grabbed a paper from my desk as they passed, either trying not to make eye contact or looking at me with a worried expression.

When the classroom emptied, I was left alone. _What the hell? He didn't even threaten to give me detention. No normal teacher would allow an outburst, especially one like that, to go unpunished._ I slowly headed towards the door, still deep in thought. "What is going on at this school?" I questioned to no one in particular as I left the schoolroom.

"Hey, you."

I jumped and whirled around to see the guy that was in the strange uniform leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and arms folded over his chest.

"You're the one who chewed out the teacher, right?" he inquired, opening his eyes, but keeping his gaze at the ground.

_You tell me. You were sitting right next to me when it happened, smartass, _I thought, but didn't dare say. "Y-yeah," I stuttered.

"Hmm, so you're not an NPC…" he muttered to himself.

"What's a NPC?" I wondered, not sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Never mind." He pushed himself off the wall and faced me, looking me in the eye for the first time. His face didn't exactly look friendly, but it didn't look threatening either. "I'm going to make you an offer and it's up to you whether or not to accept it."

I remained silent, not sure how to even respond.

"You're obviously not one of _them_," he spat out the last word with displeasure, "so I'd like to offer you a position in the SSS."

"What's the SSS?" I questioned, even more baffled than before.

"Ask questions later," he advised, once again avoiding my question. "Just meet our leader on the rooftop after school. Then you can ask all the questions you want."

"Wai—"

"If you accept," he interrupted, turning his back to me, "I'll be seeing you later." And with that, he sauntered away, leaving me more puzzled than I had ever been.

I didn't know what to do for the rest of the school day. I definitely didn't want to go back to that classroom for another two hours or so, but I didn't know this area. I went to the restrooms and locked myself in a stall. I sat on the stool and thought about the offer that guy had made earlier. For the rest of the day, I debated whether or not to go to the rooftop and meet this "leader" of his. I didn't know much about this guy, heck I didn't even know his name, but there was something about him that seemed to know what the hell was going on.

So, when the final bell rang, indicating school being over, I left the bathroom and headed to the rooftop. The first person I saw was the smartass, leaning against a railing that was supposed to keep us from falling off the roof. A girl with purple hair and a headband the same color with a yellowish green ribbon on the right side was standing next to him, her back to me as she gazed at the landscape below. Her outfit looked like a typical sailor fuku uniform. It had a blue collar and skirt with a dark pink ribbon tied under the collar. She wore black thigh-highs and I saw the same logo on her sleeve just like the smartass's.

As I approached them, smartass nudged the girl's elbow and said, "Hey, Yurippe, she's here."

The girl, Yurippe, spun around and confronted me, revealing her sea green-colored eyes. "This is her?" she asked, sounding unimpressed.

"Yeah."

"Hmm…" She took a step towards me, inspecting me up and down, before putting her hands on her hips and smiling, making the serious atmosphere disappear. "So, you want to join SSS?"

"Smartass over there said you'd answer some questions for me first."

"Hey!" He scowled at me and Yurippe just laughed.

"I think I like you already. What do you want to know?"

So, I proceeded to ask her all the questions I had since I got here and she seemed to have all the answers for them. She told me that NPC meant "non-player characters" and the only way they were different from the rest of us was that they always recognized people who had just arrived and would see everything as normal, no matter how crazy it was. She explained to me that SSS stood for "Shinda Shikei Sensen", otherwise known as the "Afterlife Battlefront", and was formed to provoke this "God" into revealing himself so we could get revenge for the suffering we had in our past life. She said that we basically had one enemy, besides God, and that was Angel, also known as the Student Body President. All the while, the guy, whose name I still didn't know, just closed his eyes and drifted off into thought. Or it maybe it was sleep.

After Yurrippe had answered all of my questions, she repeated her only one. "So, you want to join SSS?"

I thought about it for a second, but knew there was no doubt I'd accept. My choices were pretty much limited to either joining this group of rebels or getting obliterated, which didn't exactly sound that appealing. "One last question before I answer."

"What?"

"What's his name?" I pointed to the guy who had been silent and motionless this whole time. "Unless he's fine with me calling him 'smartass'."

He opened his eyes and glared at me, not very amused. "The name's Fujimaki," he said in a serious tone.

"And I'm Yuri. So, what do you say? Are you going to join or not?"

"Yeah, I'll join." She smiled and from that day on, I was a part of the Afterlife Battlefront.

Eventually, I got a uniform like Yuri's and finally got to see what was written on the sleeve, which was their motto "rebels against the god". I also met the other members of SSS: Hinata, Noda, Shiina, Takamatsu, Oyama, TK, and Matsushita V. I met more members after certain missions like "Operation Tornado", where I met Iwasawa, Hisako, Irie, Sekine, Yui, and Yusa, "Guild Descent Operation", where I met Chaa, and "Operation Monster Stream", where I met Saitou. After a while, I started getting used to everything and everyone. They felt, almost, like a family.


	3. Fujimaki's Past

I very much recommend you listen to the Angel Beats OST "Unjust Life" on repeat when Fujimaki begins talking about his past. I think it really sets the mood and gives it a lot more emotion. Here's a link if you want to: watch?v=h87kynBO6M8

* * *

I didn't want to disturb Fujimaki's thoughts, but I didn't know how much more of this tense silence I could take. "So, um, what are you thinking about exactly?" He opened his eyes and turned his head toward me. "Uh, I mean if you want to tell me," I quickly added.

"It's fine," he said, settling my anxiety. "I was just thinking about…my life when I was alive."

My eyes widened a little, realizing I'd never heard his story. "Oh, I see," was all I was able to say. "Why are you thinking of that?" I questioned, mentally slapping myself after I realized how stupid that sounded.

He looked to the ground and frowned. "I didn't have a nice life, like all of us here, and, if we really are going to be reborn when we're obliterated, I wonder if it's going to be anything like my previous one." His face seemed so sad reminiscing about his past.

"Well, you'll never know if you don't let go of your regrets." He doesn't respond and I glanced at him. "What are your regrets?"

"Not freeing myself from my dad."

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Fujimaki let out a long sigh and closed his eyes again. "I had a good life, maybe even a normal one. My parents were happy together, we didn't have money problems, and I was their pride and joy. Everything was great. At least, it was before I turned thirteen. The day of my birthday, I came home from school and saw my house ablaze."

I felt my jaw drop in astonishment.

"I could hear the fire trucks in the distance, but couldn't just wait for them to arrive when I knew my parents were inside. So I dropped my school bag on the ground and ran inside." _Is this how he died?_ I wondered. "I ran to the first place I thought they could be, the living room. When I got there, I saw my dad passed out on the floor, probably from the smoke, and ran over to him. I took his arm and draped it over my neck, lifting him up and heading for the front door. The smoke was starting to get to me and I thought I might pass out too. Luckily, some fire men showed up and quickly helped us out. As they were putting my dad on a stretcher and into an ambulance, they told me they were going to go get my mom. But that's when the worse happened." He paused for a second, probably imagining everything again. "The house collapsed."

I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my lips. "Y-your mom—"

"Was later found in the rubble," he finished for me. "She was baking me a birthday cake and something happened. My dad was asleep and inhaled too much smoke by the time he woke up so he just collapsed when he tried to find my mom. I told him what happened when he was in his hospital bed and he didn't say anything. Not to me or to the doctors or nurses. He just lied in his hospital bed, staring off into space. Since the house had collapsed, I stayed at a friend's until my dad was discharged. When he was, we rented an apartment since we lost most of our money in the fire. It wasn't a bad apartment, but it wasn't good. It had one bedroom, one bathroom, and a small kitchen and living room area. The minute we got there, my dad shut himself in his room, only coming out for the bathroom or food. I slept on the floor in the living room since we didn't have any furniture."

"Fujimaki…"

He opened his eyes, but doesn't look at me, keeping his gaze down. "Then one day, I knocked on my dad's door. He didn't answer, no surprise, so I walked in. He was sitting in the middle of the room, his back to me, and staring at the wall in front of him. I went over to him, not even sure what I was going to say, but knowing I had to say something, anything, to get him out of this depressed state. Though, looking back, I didn't have to say much." He let out a short and bitter chuckle. "I barely even started my sentence, 'Dad, mom would—', before I felt the sting of the back of his hand hitting my cheek."

My eyes widened in shock. "He…hit you?" I asked in disbelief.

"Hit, kicked, punched. He did it all, though never hard enough to break anything. He said he didn't want to waste money on another stupid hospital bill."

"And you didn't do anything about it?"

"What could I do? I was only thirteen."

"How long did it go on?" I questioned.

"Until I was seventeen," he answered.

"You didn't fight back?"

"I couldn't hit my own dad. No matter what he said to me, I just couldn't."

"What did he say to you?"

"It was the same every day. 'Why didn't you save your mother?!' or 'You worthless piece of shit! No one would remember you if you died!'"

I stayed silent, unable to say anything.

"Then one day, it stopped. The daily beatings and insults; they just…stopped. I thought maybe he had gotten tired of beating me. Maybe he had come to his senses. Maybe he finally got over mom's death. But no, I was wrong."

"Fujimaki, you don't—"

"I came home from school one day and he said we were going on a fishing trip. Said that that was the reason he was so busy. He had been planning it all week. Of course I had my suspicions, but since he hadn't beaten me in a while, I just went along with it. He had bought all the gear we'd need and already rented a boat for us. I was completely fooled. When we got to the docks, we headed into the Sea of Japan. I can still feel the sea breeze and smell the saltwater air." He shut his eyes and inhaled, exhaling slowly. "We finally stopped an hour after we left the piers. He went to the nose of the boat and said, 'Come here, son.'" He opened his eyes, revealing so much pain in them. "It was the first time he had called me 'son' since my mom died. I went and stood next to him and he pointed to the edge of the boat, saying, 'Take a good look, Fujimaki. This is the perfect area for fishing. Just look at those waters.' I bent over the railing to look down at the water and the next thing I knew, I was plummeting into it. I hadn't slipped or anything. No, I was—"

"Pushed…" I concluded.

"Yeah, by none other than my dad. In the four years he beat me, he never found any time to teach me how to swim. The last thing I saw was my dad watching me from the boat as I drown."

I felt my heart breaking at the realization that he was killed by the one person he trusted most. Almost like me.


	4. Kokoa's Past

I very much recommend you listen to the Angel Beats OST "Unjust Life" on repeat when Fujimaki begins talking about his past. I think it really sets the mood and gives it a lot more emotion. Here's a link if you want to: watch?v=h87kynBO6M8

* * *

A silence passed as his story sunk in. "You know," he said, glancing at me from the corner of his eye and smiling weakly, "you're the first person I've ever told."

_He really trusts me that much?_ I wondered to myself. An overwhelming feeling washed over me and I knew what I had—no, wanted to do. I scooted closer to Fujimaki and rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. "When I was ten, I watched my father kill my mother." I felt his body move a little, probably to look at me in shock. I opened my eyes, keeping my focus on his hands resting on his sword. "It started out as a petty argument over money, but then blew up into a scream-fest. It all happened so fast. One minute they were yelling at each other, the next he was on top of her, his hands around her neck." The image of my dad strangling my mom rushed through my brain and I lifted my hands to Fujimaki's arm, gripping it tightly. "I…I can't remember if I…if I tried to stop him…" I stuttered softly, trying so hard to recall the memory. "Maybe I did and he hit me so hard I forgot. Or maybe I stayed hidden in the shadows, watching quietly. I wish I could remember just so this plaguing guilt would go away."

"Kokoa, you don't have to tell me this just because—"

"Either way, she died in front of my eyes. Afterwards, when my dad calmed down and realized what he had done, he broke into tears. This time, I know I didn't approach him. I just watched as the man who killed his own wife, mourned over her death. After who knows how long, he took her lifeless body into his arms and carried her into their bedroom, shutting the door behind them. I waited and waited and waited for him to come out, but he never did. Hours passed before I built up enough courage to knock on the door. When there was no answer, I slowly opened it myself and saw them both lying in bed. Being the naïve child I was back then, I got on their bed and shook him, saying 'Daddy, daddy,' never getting a response back. That's when I noticed the empty pill bottle in his hand, along with a note that said, 'Kokoa, take care of your sister.'" A picture of my dead parents in their bed dashed by in my head. "So that's what I did. I left their bedroom and closed the door, never opening it again. When my sister woke up and asked me where mom and dad were, I told her they went on a trip far, far away and wouldn't be back for a while. Since she was only six at the time, she believed me. We continued our lives as was. The only difference was I did all the things my mother and father did: cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, helped Miyuki with her homework."

"And your parents' bodies?" Fujimaki asked.

"As morbid as it sounds, I never went near their bedroom and I told Miyuki not to either. I told her that they'd be very angry with her if she did. I knew their bodies were in there, but I also knew that if another adult found them, they'd make us leave our house. And that Miyuki would know the truth."

"How did that go on? Living on your own, that is."

"It wasn't terrible. I'd wake up early every morning so I could get ready and start breakfast before waking Miyuki. When school got out, I'd go get her and we'd walk home. I'd make her a snack while she worked on homework, helping her whenever, and I'd ask how everything went at school. After she finished her work, I'd let her watch TV while I started my own homework. Then I'd cook dinner when I was done and eat with her in front of the TV. Later, I'd put her to sleep just like I saw my mom do a million times. It was pretty much our daily routine. I didn't have time for clubs or anything like that, but I let Miyuki do whatever she wanted. I didn't want to deprive her of her youth. I let her stay over at friend's houses often because I figured it'd be easier on her. She never complained, but I was sure she was tired of always having the same thing every day."

"So what happened?"

"For one, the stench of my parents' decomposing bodies made it almost impossible to live in the house. I did whatever I could to try and cover the stench—open windows, spray air freshener—but there was no way I could eliminate it without removing the source. The other problem was the bills. I didn't know how to pay them so I simply threw them out, though that didn't stop them from coming. Soon our electricity and water was shut off and men from the bank or wherever began showing up. I never let them know we were there, afraid they might separate Miyuki and I. They'd usually leave and come back some other time, but after their third appearance, they said they were going to bring a warrant that would allow them to come inside. I was afraid; afraid of them finding us; afraid of them finding my parents; afraid of losing Miyuki. It was too much for my ten year old mind to handle. So, when they were gone, I grabbed two boxes of animal crackers and ran away with Miyuki." A short scoff slipped out of my mouth. "I never did think things through very well back then and probably should've packed some clothing or more food before leaving."

"What did you do after that?"

"We lived on the streets for a little while. It was hard, but we managed somehow. And even then, Miyuki never complained. I wondered if she might have known all along what happened, though she never so. One day, while we were scavenging the garbage bins outside a restaurant for our next meal, a woman saw us and came over. She said her name was Fusa and that she had an orphanage way out in the country with children just like us. We knew better than to go anywhere with strangers, but she seemed genuinely kind and we were both starving. So, we got into her car and let her take us. After what felt like hours, we finally arrived at an orphanage. There were some kids playing outside, running and laughing, and when we got out of the car, she introduced us to them. They introduced themselves before going off and continuing their game. The inside of the house was just as big as the outside. There was a large stairway that led to a second floor where all the bedrooms were, which was where we decided to explore when she left to make dinner. There were about five doors, which had at least ten bunk beds in them. We finally found one that had a free bed and claimed it, Miyuki taking the top. While we were lying in bed, talking about what the future might hold for us now, a boy with dark brown hair came in and introduced himself as Tatsuya. He was three years older than me and about four inches taller. By the time dinner was ready, we were already friends. As the years went by, Miyuki made tons of friends."

"What about you?"

"My only friend was Tatsuya. It wasn't because other kids didn't like us or anything. We just preferred to be with each other. I don't know if you'd say we were 'in love', but with each passing year, it felt like our feelings got stronger. I told him everything about me and he did the same. I told him how my dad killed himself shortly after he killed my mom and he told me how his parents were murdered during a robbery gone wrong. When we were alone, we'd talk about our lives together. He always said, 'When I turn eighteen, I'm leaving this place and taking you with me.' I'd laugh and say, 'I can't wait for that to happen.' Then he'd say, 'You're all mine. I'm not gonna share you with anyone.' If only I'd known how serious he was about that, maybe I wouldn't have laughed every time he said it."

"What do you mean?" Fujimaki questioned in a confused tone.

As I let out a sigh, I noticed the sky becoming lighter and faint rays of sunlight rising over the horizon. "When Tatsuya's eighteenth birthday was a couple days away, we decided to put his plan into action. While Fusa was preparing dinner, Tatsuya stole her keys. We packed what little things we had and were about to leave when I remembered Miyuki. My dad's last wish popped into my mind and I knew what I had to do. I ran to get her, telling Tatsuya to meet me in the car and found her sitting on the bottom bunk of our beds. I quickly grabbed her hand and headed outside, brushing off her question on what was going on for later. Tatsuya was in the car and didn't show any sign of happiness when he saw Miyuki. We got in the backseat and he started the car, peeling out. The long car ride from dusk to night was silent. Miyuki and I fell asleep, her head on my shoulder and my head on hers. It was still pitch black when I felt Tatsuya gently shake me, saying we were 'here', wherever that was. Miyuki was still asleep so I carried her inside. I was still drowsy so I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings, simply following Tatsuya. When we entered a room, moonlight shined upon a bed through a window. I laid Miyuki on it and fell asleep, never knowing that it was going to be the last time I would be with her."

"You really don't have to continue, Kokoa," Fujimaki insisted.

"Maybe if I hadn't fallen asleep, she would've lived," I muttered, mostly to myself. I wrapped my arms around Fujimaki's, wanting some kind of security before continuing. "I awoke sometime later, my mouth duct taped and arms tied by rope to the headboard of the bed. I couldn't imagine sleeping through something like this. That's when I spotted the needle on the bedside table. And when I noticed Miyuki was gone. I tried desperately to get free, but the more I struggled, the more the ropes seemed to dig into my skin. Then I heard a door open and looked back to see Tatsuya, in his boxers, covered in blood and holding a knife that was too. I didn't have to ask, not that I could've anyway. It all added up: my bounding, Miyuki missing, and Tatsuya covered in blood. That bastard…that bastard raped and killed my little sister! He killed the only family I had left!" I squeezed Fujimaki's arm. "And he had the audacity to smile and say, 'You're all mine. I'm not gonna share you with anyone.'" I could feel my arms trembling with anger. "It was hell after that. Every day, he'd say, 'You're all mine now. I'm not gonna share you with anyone,' and if I didn't laugh or smile at it like I used to, he'd rape or torture me. I don't know how long it went on, but I do know I never smiled or laughed. Not when he had me or when the police came or when I was back in the orphanage. I couldn't. I had no reason to. After the whole ordeal, I never trusted anyone again because I thought I'd lose them or they'd turn out to be just like Tatsuya. I spent the next year in isolation, never leaving my bed unless I had to and never interacting with anyone. A couple months after my sixteenth birthday, I couldn't take it anymore. The house had too many memories of Miyuki and Tatsuya. So I ran away, just like I had done when I was with Miyuki. The only difference was I was smart enough to bring food with me back then." My lips curve into a small grin as I reminisce how foolish I was. "Unfortunately, that didn't last long. I guess once a naïve child, always a naïve child. I don't know how far I had gotten from the orphanage, but after a few days with no food or water, I passed out in a field of carnations. And then I woke up here, no memories except my death."


End file.
